ST. LOUIS — Sean Avery has given up trying to figure out when he’ll play again for the Rangers, but he admits sitting while the team played two of its ugliest games of the season the past five days has been particularly difficult.

“It’s definitely more frustrating,” Avery told the Post after practice Friday at Scottrade Center before flying to Phoenix for Saturday’s game against the Coyotes. “I know I can help.”

But he also knows there’s not much he can do about it.

Avery said he had not talked to John Tortorella after the past two games that Avery’s style may have benefitted the Rangers: a 1-0 loss to the Stars and 4-1 to the Blues.

“It’s not easy, but it’s part of the job have and you have to deal with it,” Avery said. “I want the guys to play well regardless of who is in the lineup, but it’s tough.”

And he said he doesn’t believe there’s much he can do in practice to change the situation.

“I don’t think so,” Avery said.

Tortorella said he wasn’t sure if he would alter the lineup for the Phoenix game and wouldn’t say if Avery would be involved.

“I’ve got a lot of players out that I have to consider, not just Sean,” said Tortorella, refusing to single out Avery. “I’m pleased with how all the guys are working.”

One player who intends to be back for Saturday’s game is Mike Rupp, who made it through Friday’s practice unscathed and said he gave Tortorella the “thumbs up” about playing against Phoenix.

“It’s coach’s decision, but there will be butterflies because I haven’t missed time like this in awhile,” said Rupp, who has been out since October with a knee injury. “It’s gonna be an adjustment. Skating hard in practice is one thing, but skating in the corners, battling for pucks is another. I have to make sure I do that right away because that’s my game.”

It’s something that has been virtually absent from the Rangers in their past two losses.

“Sometimes those divisional rival games are easy games to have extra incentive,” Rupp said. “You’ve gotta find ways against teams in the other conference that you don’t see very often and don’t know too much about to have that same intensity. Sometimes you come out flat. Earlier in the year we made statements against each team and I think we need to do that [Saturday].”

For Brad Richards, it will be an opportunity to bounce back from a tough night in which Tortorella sat him for nearly half the first period.

His 15:12 of ice time was the fewest he’d played in a game while healthy since February 28, 2006, when he was with the Lightning and they were dismantled by the Panthers, 8-2. Richards’ coach at the time was Tortorella.

“Coaches don’t take a player like me off the ice for no reason,” Richards said. “There’s a reason and I’ve got to respond to it.”

Tortorella said, “He gets it. That will never be a problem with [Richards]. He understands his game. He can self-assess his game and he knows what’s going on.”

Richards didn’t need an explanation from Tortorella.

“It’s been like that since I’ve known him,” Richards said. “It’s not a big deal. I’ve gotta be held accountable like everybody else…Sometimes it’s good to get a little wakeup [call].”

The same could be said for the entire team.

“There’s a reason we didn’t get any bounces [against the Blues],” Richards said. “Things can slip. You can win anyway sometimes and mask it. But after these last two, we need to be better and harder. I don’t know if it means we’ll win, but we won’t be chasing like we were [Thursday] and we’ll give ourselves a chance.”